Rikki Tikki Tavi: Rikki's Point of View
by AuroraBorealis14
Summary: Something I wrote for school. It's Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling from Rikki Tikki Tavi's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

"Rikki! Rikki, oh, you've got to see this!"

I turned, irritated. "What _is_ it, Chandra?" Little sisters can be so annoying.

"There's something in the distance, like, really far away! I can see it!" She grasped my arm. "C'mon, Rikki!"

I rolled my eyes. "All right, Chandra, I'll come look. But it better be good. I was about to get some exploring done!"  
I wondered vaguely what this something was as my pain of a sister led me by the paw. Probably an extra tall blade of grass or something else Chandra could overreact to.

Her high, tinny voice cut through my thoughts. "I saw it here! See, you can still see it! Do you see it, Rikki?"

I looked, and I had to admit that I saw something. I couldn't quite tell what it was, but it was indeed there.

"Probably nothing." I told her.

But there was something else odd. I heard something too. It sounded like a distant rushing. I turned to tell Chandra, but she had bounded off into our burrow again.

As the day went on, Chandra's curiousity about the "thing" faded, but mine started to grow. I began pondering the choices as to what it could be. But, as always, my thoughts were interrupted.

"RIKKI! DINNER!!" came my mother's cry.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I responded, dashing over to my mother.

I found my family eating, my mother giving everyone some snake steak. Annoying Chandra was seated next to one of her even more annoying friends she had dragged over for dinner.

The house was full of the sound of laughter and chatter and of…rushing? That wasn't right. It had never sounded like rushing in the burrow before. Oh, well, I thought to myself, and continued to ignore it.

Before dinner ended, I excused myself early. I walked over to my room, but I was in for a surprise.

My room was knee-deep in water.

And filling up all the time, too, I noticed. The water started to gush out of my room, and soon I heard cries of shock from where my family was having dinner. I remained frozen, while the water level grew still higher.

"Rikki, where's Rikki?" I heard Chandra's voice cry as the water level grew some more.

That was the last thing I ever heard of my family. The water sent me flying out of the burrow, down through a ditch. I yelled for my family in the distance, and heard them yelling for me, but we both knew we couldn't reach each other. I continued yelling until I was hoarse, but still, no use. I needed something to cling to, to stop moving with the water.

And there it was, right on cue. Salvation in the form of a wisp of grass! I seized it, clutching it like it contained my life force, and in some ways, it did.

I grew tired, clinging there, and started thinking how nice it would be to just abandon myself, to let the unconsciousness take me like it wanted to. I shook myself out of it several times, but it came again and again, becoming so…hard…to resist…

I gave up. I shut my eyes and let go, letting the flood carry me away.


	2. Chapter 2

I came to my senses again lying on something sort of soft. I knew it was sunny out, for the insides of my still-shut eyelids shone orange, and I felt the sunshine shining its most welcome warmth on my pelt.

_I'm dead._ I thought. _I know I'm dead. The flood must have killed me. This is probably mongoose heaven._

I heard footsteps, some soft ones, some loud ones. Were they angels coming to greet me?

"Here's a dead mongoose." said a young boy's voice with a British accent. "Let's have a funeral."

Odd. I had always been told there was no death or funerals in mongoose heaven.

"No." said a female voice with a similar accent. "Let's take him in and dry him. Perhaps he isn't really dead."

I felt something huge pick me up and start walking with me.

"No, this mongoose isn't dead." said a male voice after a while, also accented. "Only half-choked."

As the chest of the huge thing holding me rumbled when the male voice spoke, I figured the thing must be the one talking.

I felt something soft envelop me. Could this be my heavenly robe? I decided to get a look at this place, to see if it was truly mongoose heaven.

I was in for a disappointment. It wasn't mongoose heaven. It was, however, an Englishman's house.

"Now, don't frighten him, and we'll see what he'll do." the Englishman continued.

I snorted. Like mongooses ever get frightened! It's darn near impossible to scare someone whose motto is "Run and find out."

We did, however, get hungry. It had been a while since that snake steak. Thinking of that led to thoughts of my family, which came with a pang. But my hunger also came with a pang, so I put first things first. I wondered whether this thing wrapped around me was edible. After nibbling at it, I decided not. Oh, well. I guess that meant I would have to do some exploring instead.

The thing I was on was hard wood. I guessed it was sort of a platform. To test its firmness and stability I ran the perimeter of it. It seemed stable enough. But after all that rubbing the humans did with that soft thing, my fur was in terrible shape. Mongooses do pride themselves on having nice fur, you know! I stood still to smooth out my fur. After doing that, I decided I wanted to get closer to these humans. I picked the smallest one and sprang onto his shoulder.

"Don't be frightened, Teddy." the Englishman said, probably the father of this boy due to his tone. "That's his way of making friends."

_And what's _your_ way of making friends, sir?_ I felt like snapping back. However, I didn't, because this little human I was on was more interesting. I nudged the cloth he had protecting him away at the neck (quite a lousy outer shell if you ask me!) to look at him. My mother had told me humans had no fur, only skin. It was true, I now saw. The boy's skin was absolutely bare.

I climbed down and sat on the floor, rubbing my nose where it had touched human skin. The skin was so odd! So slippery!

"Good gracious," said the Englishwoman, presumably the man's wife. "and that's a wild creature! I suppose he's so tame because we've been kind to him."

What? Me, _tame?_ They actually thought they had control of me? They thought they'd bent me to their will?

I didn't listen to what the Englishman said to his sadly mistaken wife until the key sentence at the end, which was;

"Let's give him something to eat."

Now we were talking! They laid some meat in front of me, and I devoured it, no questions asked. Feeling very much refreshed, I decided I'd go out and get some sun to dry off. There were more things to find out about in this house than my family would ever find. I would have to stay and find out.


	3. Chapter 3

"Here, little mongoose, how about some banana?" the woman asked, the next morning.

Ignoring the horrid name she'd called me, I reached out to take the banana that she had given Teddy to feed to me with good grace. He, not looking, hit me in the nose with it. Bananas are soft, but still I had to rub my nose, because it hurt from last night's "incident."

Oh, about that. The Englishman had been making the most interesting shapes with the end of a feather dipped in black liquid. I climbed up to get a good view, and I would have gotten one too, had the firestick he had in his mouth not gotten my nose first. In pain, I had shoved my nose into the black liquid to douse it. That had happened, but it also had turned my snout black.

I ate the banana and also a boiled egg that they gave me, then decided to venture into the garden to see what things I could find. There was a lot of plant life, and it seemed an excellent hunting ground. I heard weeping in a thornbush and found a tailorbird and his wife crying on the rim of a very nice nest.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"We are very miserable." the tailorbird sighed.

"One of our babies fell out of the nest yesterday and Nag ate him." the wife said.

I made a sound of what I hoped was commiseration. "That's very sad. But I am a stranger here. Who is Nag?"

In response, the tailorbirds cowered down in the nest. Within seconds, I knew why-- a nasty cold hiss came from the grass that made me jump. Inch by inch a cobra rose out of the grass, looking right at me with those expressionless beads cobras see out of.

"Who is Nag?" he said. "I am Nag."

This much I had guessed by now.

This Nag continued. "The great god Brahm put his mark upon all our people when the first cobra spread his hood to keep the sun off Brahm. Look, and be afraid."

He spread his hood as if to illustrate, showing me the spectacle mark on the back. It was suppose to scare me, but I wasn't really scared. Well, maybe for a second.

It wasn't like I hadn't seen cobras, just not live ones. I had been eating dead ones since I was really little. So I felt I had some experience. After all, mongooses are born to kill snakes, anyway.

My tail fluffed out. "Well, marks or no marks, do you think it's right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest?"

Nag sat in thought for a while, then sank down to talk to me.

"Let us talk." he said, in a voice I didn't quite trust. "You eat eggs. Why should I not eat birds?"

Whatever he was going to say next, the tailorbird's cry cut through it.

"Behind you! Look behind you!" he was crying.

I had a feeling that if I wasted time to look, I would probably end up dead. So I jumped up instead. Another cobra, this one female, slid just under me.

"It's Nagaina!" Darzee cried.

This Nagaina had tried to ambush me! She hissed with anger at her failure. I came down from from my jump, landing on her back. Not quite sure what to do, I bit her. Not long enough, though. All I did was hurt her, because I had to jump off quick so as not to get bitten.

"Wicked, wicked Darzee!" Nag cried.

He lashed toward the tree, but it was out of reach-- the nest merely swayed.

My eyes started feeling hot, and I supposed they were growing red. I was furious, and now everyone could tell. I sat on my hind legs and looked around, raging. To no avail, however-- Nag and that vicious female snake Nagaina were gone. Knowing I couldn't handle two snakes at once, I decided to go somewhere quiet and think it over.

I was really proud of myself. That blow, inexperienced as I was, could have easily been my downfall, but I had avoided it. I saw Teddy coming, and prepared myself to be praised and petted.

Teddy bent over to pet me, but then something in the dust moved.

"Be careful, for I am death!" said the little voice.

The difference between the voice and the words would have been comical, had the situation been different. But in this case, it was coming from a tiny, yet highly venomous snake.

I felt my eyes growing red again, and I looked for a good place to hold. But I didn't have a lot of time to think. He moved, and I tried to run in. He struck at me, and I just barely made the jump over him.

Teddy yelled to his parents: "Oh, look here! Our mongoose is killing a snake!"

A scream sounded from the house from his mother and his father emerged with a stick just as the snake lunged. I sprang onto the snake's back before the big man could do anything, and bit as high up the back as I could, and rolled off. The snake was paralyzed. I was fixing to eat him up from the tail, but my sense reminded me that a full mongoose is a slow one, so I refrained.

I went to take a dust bath by the bushes, wondering why the big man insisted on beating the dead snake. What was the point? I'd settled the matter already.

Just then I felt myself being lifted. Teddy's mother had picked me up. He was hugging me, sobbing with joy.

"Oh, you've saved my Teddy from death!" she cried.

"Let go of me!" I protested. "I'm trying to take a dust bath here!"

But no one heard or understood my protest over her sobs.

"Truly this mongoose is a providence." the big man said.

I wondered what they were making such a big deal about-- nothing important had really happened. But if they want to praise me and give me treats, who am I to complain?

Dinner was very celebratory that day. They all petted me and praised me. I had my pick of anything I wanted, but I wasn't really hungry. The memories of today's events with Nag and Nagaina still made my eyes burn red and hot every now and then. They wondered why, but when it went away, they would continue as usual.

Teddy wanted me to sleep near him that night. I made no protest, but as soon as I heard the deep breaths of sleep from the boy, I jumped off of him and went out to peek around, as always. In the dark I didn't see the cowering muskrat against the wall, and I ran into him.

It was Chuchundra. I knew his name, for I always heard it in whispers from Darzee or the other animals. He was well-known for being whiny all the time, and making up his mind to run out in the middle of the room, but losing it at the last minute.

"Chuchundra's going to try for the middle of the room again." Darzee would whisper to me. "He's dead serious. I think he's going to do it."

Later, I would ask someone if he did it, and they would tell he didn't make it. Again.

"Don't kill me," Chuchundra wheedled, half-crying. "Rikki-tikki, don't kill me."

I snorted. Chuchundra was plainly as foolish as he seemed if he had such a delusion.

"Do you think a snake killer kills muskrats?" I sneered.

"Those who kill snakes get killed by snakes." Chuchundra whimpered. "And how am I to be sure that Nag won't mistake me for you some dark night?"  
I almost rolled my eyes. What an idiot! Snakes have a much more acute sense of smell than to mistake mongooses and muskrats.

"There's not the least danger." I assured him, trying to be patient. "Anyway, Nag is in the garden, and I know you don't go there."

"My cousin Chua, the rat, told me…"

Then he stopped.

"Told you what?" I asked, continuing with the patience act. Internally, I screamed, "Tell me, you darned rodent!"

"H'sh! Nag is everywhere, Rikki-tikki. You should have talked to Chua in the garden."  
Infuriating! That was pretty much it for patience.

"I didn't-- so you must tell me." I said through gritted teeth. "Quick, Chuchundra, or I'll bite you."

This seemed to get him. He might have told me right then and there if he hadn't sat down and cried first. Since he seemed on the verge of telling me, I reverted to patience and waited it out.

"I am a very poor man," he eventually said through his tears. "I never had spirit enough to run out into the middle of the room. H'sh! I musn't tell you anything!"

That little coward! My patience started to fade again, and he went on.

"Can't you _hear_, Rikki-tikki?"

Ah, now that was something, even if it wasn't definite information. So I wouldn't have to bite him yet.

I started to listen, and after a while, I heard a faint scratching-- snake scales on bricks.

Nag or Nagaina was crawling into the bathroom sluice!


	4. Chapter 4

"You're right, Chuchundra." I sighed. "I should have talked to Chua."

No time for that now, however. I ran to Teddy's bathroom, finding nothing. I went to Teddy's mother's bathroom, and there I found it.

There was a brick pulled out of the wall for the sluice. I went past the masonry curb, and heard Nag and Nagaina whispering to each other outside.

"When the house is emptied of people," Nagaina was saying, "_he_ will have to go away, and then the garden will be our own again. Go in quietly, and remember that the big man who killed Karait is the first one to bite. Then come out and tell me, and we will hunt for Rikki-tikki together."

Well, this was just great.

"But are you sure that there is anything to be gained by killing the people?" Nag asked.

"Everything." Nagaina assured him. "When there were no people in the bungalow, did we have any mongoose in the garden? So long as the bungalow is empty, we are king and queen of the garden; and remember that as soon as our eggs in the melon bed hatch, as they may tomorrow, our children will need room and quiet."

"I had not thought of that. I will go, but there is no need that we should for Rikki-tikki afterward. I will kill the big man and his wife, and the child if I can, and come away quietly. Then the bungalow will be empty, and Rikki-tikki will go."

Absolutely splendid. No need to kill me, just kill everyone else and I'll go away, right? Nice bunch, Nag and Nagaina.

I didn't have a lot of time to think about that before Nag came up through the sluice. No denying he was huge. Though I eat snakes, it was still kind of scary. I wanted to kill him, but knew that if I did it here, Nagaina would know, and the odds were in his favor if I fought him on the open floor.

I heard him drinking from the largest water jar used to fill the bath.

"This is good." Nag murmured. "Now when Karait was killed, the big man had a stick. He may have that stick still, but when he comes in to bathe in the morning he will not have a stick. I shall wait here till he comes. Nagaina-- do you hear me?-- I shall wait here in the cool till daytime."

There was no answer. I guess Nagaina was gone. Nag coiled himself around the bottom of the jar, and I remained perfectly still.

It must have been an hour before he slept. After I was sure he was asleep, I moved freely again. I sized him up for a place to get the best hold. If I didn't break his back with the first jump, he could fight, and that would be bad. The neck below the hood was too think, and a tail bite would just make him mean. Eventually I found it-- the head above the hood. I was to bite there, and not let go. I jumped. I braced against the bulge of the jar and bit.

There was a second of this hold, until suddenly the earth came out from under me. I was being repeatedly smashed against the floor, skidded across it, whirled in in huge circles. A earthquake? No, it was Nag. Nag undulated and writhed, knocking everything in the vicinity to the floor. Except me, that is. I held on for dear life, determined. I was certain Nag would smash me to death, and the honorable way for a mongoose to die in battle it with their teeth locked.

Just as I was sure death was just around the bend, there was a huge explosion behind me. The heat of it singed my fur, and the body beneath me fell still. I closed my eyes, knowing I was probably dead, but the Englishman picked me up.

"It's the mongoose again, Alice," he said. "the little chap has saved our lives now."

The woman came in, horrified. Registering in the back of my brain that "little chap" was another horrid name, I slogged my way to Teddy's room to rest. I had a pressing matter to take care of: to inspect myself. I felt broken into tiny pieces, but I wanted to find out if this was really true. Finding that it, fortunately, wasn't, I settled down to another pressing matter-- sleep.

In the morning, I was sore and stiff, but I felt accomplished. Still, there were some things left to take care. Nagaina, for one. Nagaina--Vishnu preserve us!--would be about ten times worse than Nag. And the eggs could hatch any time. I decided to go see Darzee.

Forgoing breakfast, I ran to the thornbush, where Darzee was singing. The news of Nag's death had spread all over the garden, because they had seen the sweeper throw the body away.

I couldn't believe Darzee was singing. What an idiot! "Oh, you stupid tuft of feathers!" I grumbled. "Is this the time to sing?"

He didn't hear, or care. "Nag is dead, is dead, is dead!" he sang. "The valiant Rikki-tikki caught him by the head and held fast. The big man brought the bang-stick and Nag fell in two pieces! He will never eat my babies again!"

This was no time for song! And what a terrible song, anyway! Didn't even rhyme.

"All that's true enough," I said levelly. "but where's Nagaina?"

I looked all around me, and Darzee ignored me and continued.

"Nagaina came to the bathroom sluice and called for Nag, and Nag came out on the end of a stick-- the sweeper picked him up on the end of a stick and threw him upon the rubbish heap."

I was ready to throw someone else on the garbage heap if he didn't shut up.

"Let us sing about the great, the red-eyed Rikki-tikki!" Darzee sang, his voice swelling with this line.

By this point, I had a few choice words for Darzee, but decided not to say them.

"If I could get up to your nest, I'd roll all your babies out!" I snapped. Realizing that was slightly harsh, I tried to calm down. "Look, you don't know when to do the right thing at the right time. You're safe enough in your nest there, but it's war for me down here. Stop singing a minute, Darzee."

"For the great, the beautiful Rikki-tikki's sake, I will stop. "What is it, O Killer of the terrible Nag?"

I hoped desperately that all the other animals wouldn't behave like this around me.

"Where is Nagaina, for the third time?" I said testily.

"On the rubbish heap by the stables, mourning for Nag. Great is Rikki-tikki with the white teeth."

"Bother my white teeth!" I said annoyedly. "Have you ever heard where she keeps her eggs?"

"In the melon bed, on the end nearest the wall, where the sun strikes nearly all day. She had them there weeks ago."

"And you never thought it worthwhile to tell me? The end nearest the wall, you said?"

"Rikki-tikki, you are not going to eat her eggs?"

"Not eat exactly, no. Darzee, if you have a grain of sense you will fly off to the stables and pretend that your wing is broken, and let Nagaina chase you away to this bush. I must get to the melon bed, and if I went there now she'd see me."

Apparently, Darzee _didn't_ have a grain of sense. (Not that it was hard to figure that out in the first place.) He seemed to think it wasn't fair to kill eggs. But, thankfully, his wife had sense. She flew off, while Darzee continued his idiotic song.

I hid myself nearby as Darzee's wife flew to the rubbish heap where Nagaina was.

"Oh, my wing is broken!" she cried. "The boy in the house threw a stone at me and broke it."

The cobra lifted her head and hissed. "You warned Rikki-tikki when I would have killed him. Indeed and truly, you've chosen a bad place to be lame in."

She slid toward Darzee's wife.

"The boy broke it with a stone!" she continued to screech.

"Well," Nagaina began venomously. "It may be some consolation to you when you're dead to know that I shall settle accounts with the boy. My husband lies on the rubbish heap this morning, but before the night the boy in the house will lie very still. What is the use of running away? I am sure to catch you. Little fool, look at me!"  
Darzee might have, but fortunately Darzee's wife knew better. Birds who look into the eyes of a snake get paralyzed by fear. Instead, she continued to whimper and flutter pitifully, not leaving the ground. Nagaina moved a little faster, and they left the stables.

Now I could go. I ran at top speed to the melon patch. There I found, extremely well-hidden, twenty-five smallish eggs. Seeing the little cobras curled up inside the skin, I knew I was right on time. I smashed each one until there were only three left. I chuckled happily to myself, but at that moment, Darzee's wife came screaming.

"Rikki-tikki, I led Nagaina toward the house, and she's gone into the veranda, and--oh, come quickly--she means killing!"


	5. Chapter 5

Uh oh. As quickly as I could, I smashed two of the eggs, and picked up the third in my mouth. Then I took off like a shot, running as fast as possible to the veranda. The family was at breakfast, but the food was untouched. They were pale, and as still as statues. I saw why-- Nagaina was coiled by Teddy's chair, right next to his bare leg. She was swaying and singing a triumphant song. (Looks like she picked up a thing or two from Darzee.)

"Son of the big man that killed Nag, stay still. I am not ready yet. Wait a little. Keep very still, all you three. If you move I strike, and if you don't move I strike. Oh, foolish people who killed my Nag!"

Teddy's eyes, round as saucers, stared at his father, who merely whispered, "Sit still, Teddy. You mustn't move, Teddy, keep still."

I knew what I had to do.

"Turn round, Nagaina; turn and fight!"

She didn't move her focus. "All in good time." she replied. "I will settle my account with you presently. Look at your friends, Rikki-tikki. They are still and white; they are afraid. They dare not move, and if you come a step nearer I strike."

"Look at your eggs," I said. "in the melon bed near the wall. Go and look, Nagaina."

She turned and saw the egg I held.

"Ah-h! Give it to me."

I placed my paws on the sides of the eggs, and I felt my eyes grow hot again.

"What price for a snake's egg?" I challenged. I was quite astonished, really, at the words coming from my mouth. I felt like someone else was controlling my words and movements, that I had no choice but to say them. "For a young cobra? For a young king cobra? For the last--the very last of the brood? The ants are eating all the others down by the melon bed."

She spun all the way around, now focused on the egg. Teddy's father took this time to grab Teddy and drag him out of her reach.

"Tricked! Tricked! Tricked!" I heard myself make a noise of triumph and laugh. "The boy is safe, and it was I--I--I that caught Nag by the hood last night in the bathroom." I felt myself start jumping. "He threw me to and fro, but he couldn't shake me off. He was dead before the big man blew him in two. I did it. Come then, Nagaina. Come and fight with me. You shall not be a widow long."

Nagaina realized she'd lost her chance to kill Teddy, and she wanted her eggs.

"Give the egg, Rikki-tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go away and never come back."

"Yes, you will go, and you will never come back; for you will go to the rubbish with Nag!" I heard myself say. "Fight, widow! The big man has gone for his gun! Fight!"

This being who made the words come from my mouth seemed quite bold and confident, to have me issue such a challenge. It also made me start bounding around Nagaina, keeping just out of reach.

Nagaina struck, and I jumped out of reach. This happened over and over. I felt completely in control. But I had forgotten one thing-- the egg.

Nagaina finally grabbed it in her mouth, as I drew a breath, and bolted off. I had to catch her, or else this trouble would never end. I chased her all over, by Darzee, still singing his stupid song. As I ran, I saw Darzee's wife fly off and followed me. She got in front of Nagaina and flapped her wings around the snake's head. With Darzee's help we could have done something, but as it was, Nagaina just went on. Regardless, the delay did catch me up with her, and I bit into her tail just as she slithered down into the rat hole she used to live in with Nag. Now, my mother had always told me never to follow a snake into its hole. I went down with her anyway, into the darkness.

I won't bore you with the details of what happened down there. I know you can probably guess. I will, however, tell you this: I emerged filthy, but triumphant. Darzee stopped his stupid song as I came up.

"It's all over." I said. "The widow will never come out again."

The ants heard me, and went down to see for themselves. But I didn't bother to watch them. I sunk onto the grass, exhausted, and fell asleep the moment my head hit the ground.

When I woke a while later, the sky had a faint orange tinge of sunset. I got up and went to the house, after telling Darzee to inform the Coppersmith bird, who I was sure would inform just about every garden in India about it.

He made a quick job of it, too-- as I made my way to the house, I heard his cry:

"Nagaina is dead--_dong!"_

The English family stuffed me with food, tears of joy in their eyes, and then I went off to Teddy's room with Teddy to sleep.

I heard the Coppersmith's cry again:

"Nagaina is dead-- _dong!"_

_Yes, I know._ I thought with a small smile. Satisfied, I curled up on Teddy's shoulder to sleep.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

The Coppersmith did a good job. I was a celebrity in the entire state of Bihar after that.

"It's Rikki-tikki!" they would exclaim when they saw me, and they would rush over to greet me.

The cobras all heard too, and none of them have dared show their face since Nag and Nagaina. Even the other types of snakes never come around.

Every mongoose knows my name, and I've met several who say they want to be "just like me." I hope they never have to.

Since the whole of Bihar knows my name, I've run into people from my past. Like this:

I was walking down the street outside the bungalow when I heard a loud shout.

"Rikki-tikki-tavi!"  
I was used to being shouted at by then, so I smiled and turned to wave to this fan of mine.

I didn't believe what I saw.

It was Chandra, running toward me. She was a couple years older, but it was definitely her.

"Chandra!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…I was out looking for cobras, if you must know." she said with a slight blush. "I heard about you, and I wanted to be just like you!"

"Join the club." I groaned. "Well, it's great to see you again. Where are Mom and Dad?"

Chandra smiled. "Back at the burrow. Wanna come?"

I knew she didn't mean a visit. I shook my head.

"Sorry, Chandra. I'm so happy to see you again, but I live at the bungalow with the humans now."

Chandra looked disappointed, but sighed.

"All right, Rikki. Good-bye."

We touched muzzles in parting, and then Chandra left. Was that the ghost of a mischievious smile I saw on her face?

A few mornings later, I sat on Teddy's shoulder, devouring eggs, when I heard a cry from Teddy's mother.

"Oh my, look! More mongooses!"

Confused, I lifted up my head from my egg looked.

There stood my mother and father, and in front them stood a triumphant-looking Chandra.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked, jumping down to greet them.

"You thought we'd just let you ditch us like that, big brother?" she asked. "No way! If you won't come with us, we're coming with you."

"Can we keep them, Mum?" I heard Teddy ask his mother.

"Well…" Teddy's mother said thoughtfully. "All right."

There were cheers all around. The family was happy to have more mongooses to protect them. Teddy was glad to have more companions. And how could I not be happy? I was back with my family once more, in a comfortable Englishman's house. All was right with the world.


End file.
